1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an expander type exercise device.
2. Background Information
Expander type exercise devices are also referred to as pulling exercisers or strand-pulling exercisers. Such exercisers are intended to aid in performing a plurality of physical exercises that are conducive to improve the fitness of body muscles. Such exercise devices may serve to replace barbells or dumbbells for performing physical exercises.
Some typical expander type exercise devices are described in the following references.
U.S. Pat. No. 399,699 issued to Sachs on Mar. 19, 1889 and entitled “Exercising apparatus,” shows a typical embodiment of a strand-pulling exercise device in which five elastic bands, either rubber or metallic springs, are individually respectively secured between handles. U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,614 issued to McIntosh on Mar. 29, 1960 and entitled “Body exercising device,” discloses five separate elongated resilient, rubber, tubes connected between two handgrips. The tubes according to McIntosh are connected at the handgrips by way of ball elements. U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,543 issued to Richardson on Jul. 18, 1972 and entitled “Elastic pull type exerciser,” discloses a single piece of elastic tubing with loops formed at the respective ends of the tubing that serve as the handgrips. An anchoring element is disposed at the portion of the tubing opposite to the handgrips. The anchoring element provides the counterweight for the pull type exerciser according to Richardson. U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,734 issued to Lee at al. on Apr. 26, 1977 and entitled “Elastic pull type isotonic/isometric exerciser,” discloses a single, elastic, resistant length of latex rubber with respective handle portions to perform pulling exercises. U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,318 issued to Phillips et al. on Aug. 9, 1988 and entitled “Exerciser,” discloses a single tension member that can be varied in length between two handgrips. U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,564 issued to Nelson on Sep. 2, 1997 and entitled “Exercise device,” discloses a structure that includes a single belt. The single belt serves to resist swinging movement of an upper housing upon movement of a handle assembly that is actuated during an exercise. The belt is connected to a pair of sprockets that cooperate with a further, centrally located, sprocket. The centrally located sprocket meshes with the cogs on the pair of sprockets, such that rotation of the centrally located sprocket in clockwise or counter-clockwise directions will rotate the adjacent sprockets in opposed directions to thereby adjust the tension of the single belt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,196 issued to Gvoich on Mar. 23, 1999 and entitled “Multiple elastic cable exercise device,” discloses three elastic cables, the respective ends of which are secured in the respective handles by way of conical plugs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,631 issued to Chiu on Apr. 20, 1999 and entitled “Handle structure for a chest pull,” discloses a handle with a tapered passage for a sphere member that is sized to be movably retained in the tapered passage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,758 issued to Chiu on Nov. 28, 2000 and entitled “Handle assembly for connecting resilient ropes,” discloses a single rope that is passed through apertures in a pair of handles, with the rope being clamped in place in the handles by way of teardrop-shaped members.
The Applicant herein also conducted a search in the database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with the search terms “exercise equipment.” The search located 1543 titles. A total of 229 references of these 1543 titles were studied separately, but no pertinent references were developed.
Based on the disclosures described in the foregoing, my present invention is to overcome hitherto encountered limitations in terms of adjusting the operational resiliency or resistance of the elastic element and elements of an expander type exercise device or strand pulling exercise device.
Thus, my present invention, in one aspect thereof, is directed to the improvement wherein a plurality of tension modes can be accomplished for an increase of the number of possible physical exercises that can be performed with my expander type exerciser during physical workout therewith.